PacketSense vs Wireshark
Wireshark is the best free packet dissector there is — and PacketSense is built to work with it, not replace it. Both run entirely on your machine. PacketSense adds the layer Wireshark leaves to you: guided triage, structured investigation, and evidence-backed reporting.
Wireshark shows you the packets. PacketSense gets you to the answer — and lets you hand it off. Capture wherever you like (Wireshark, tcpdump, a firewall), then import into PacketSense to triage, investigate with a guided workflow and an on-device assistant, and produce evidence-backed reports. It's complementary, and it runs locally — so it works even on captures that can never leave the building.
Where each one fits.
An honest comparison. Wireshark is the dissection engine; PacketSense is the investigation and reporting layer on top of it.
| Capability | Wireshark | PacketSense |
|---|---|---|
| Deep packet dissection | Best-in-class | Yes — packets stay inspectable |
| Runs locally / offline | Yes | Yes — local-first by default |
| Free & open source | Yes | Licensed (pilot; free Trial) |
| Guided investigation workflow | Manual | Yes — orient → narrow → follow → conclude |
| Triage & anomaly surfacing | Manual | Yes — surfaced inline |
| Text-evidence import (FortiGate logs, hex dumps) | Limited | Yes — normalized to one model |
| On-device analyst assistant | No | Yes — summaries linked to packets |
| Evidence-backed reports & exports | Manual (screenshots) | Yes — reports, CSV / PCAP slices |
| Team governance (seats, policy) | No | Yes — Enterprise controls |
Wireshark is a registered trademark of its respective owners. PacketSense is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wireshark; this comparison is for evaluation purposes.
Keep Wireshark. Add PacketSense.
You don't have to change how you capture. PacketSense imports the PCAP and PCAPNG files you already collect.
- 1Capture in Wireshark, tcpdump or your firewall — as you do today.
- 2Import the PCAP into PacketSense to triage, follow streams and investigate with guidance.
- 3Hand off an evidence-backed report that traces every finding back to specific packets.
PacketSense vs Wireshark — common questions.
Is PacketSense a replacement for Wireshark?
No — PacketSense is designed to work alongside Wireshark, not replace it. Wireshark remains the best free, low-level packet dissector. PacketSense adds the layer Wireshark leaves to you: guided triage, structured investigation, and evidence-backed reporting — running entirely on your own machine, just like Wireshark.
What does PacketSense add over Wireshark?
PacketSense adds a guided investigation workflow (orient, narrow, follow, conclude), inline anomaly and top-talker surfacing, an on-device analyst assistant that summarises captures, text-evidence import (FortiGate logs, hex dumps), evidence-backed reports and CSV/PCAP exports, and enterprise controls like seats and policy. Wireshark can do deep dissection, but leaves triage, reporting and team governance to the analyst.
Can I use PacketSense and Wireshark together?
Yes, and most teams do. PacketSense imports the PCAP and PCAPNG files you already capture with Wireshark, tcpdump or a firewall, so you can capture wherever you like and then investigate, triage and report in PacketSense. Nothing has to change about how you collect traffic.
Does PacketSense run locally like Wireshark?
Yes. Both Wireshark and PacketSense process captures on your own machine. PacketSense is local-first by design: raw captures, sessions and reports stay on the analyst's machine, which is what lets it be used on sensitive captures that can't be uploaded to a cloud service.
Is PacketSense free like Wireshark?
Wireshark is free and open source; PacketSense is a licensed product currently in pilot, with Trial, Individual, Pro and Enterprise tiers. The Trial is a full local evaluation. Because they complement each other, you can keep using free Wireshark for capture and dissection and add PacketSense for the guided workflow and reporting.
See PacketSense on your own captures.
Bring a PCAP you'd normally open in Wireshark and try the guided, local-first workflow. Request pilot access to get started.